Clusterstaunch

Under the cover of coronavirus, Dave King resigned as chairman of Newco. Four months ago he said the club needed £10m before the end of the season. In his farewell statement, released last night, he noted a hoped-for round of funding “has been put on hold”. With the postponement of fixtures since last month, the funding requirement could now be as much as £20m.

The statement was unnecessarily wordy, had he got to the point, he would have said ‘The proposed funder has bailed out and so have I. You’re on your own.’

Claiming he hoped to extend his tenure as chairman until after the coronavirus crisis, but was unable to as South Africa authorities insisted he self-isolate for 14 days, insults the intelligence of even his advocates. The world is self-isolating at the moment and the rest of us have figured out how to communicate by phone or videoconference.

This football club needs tens of millions to pay the liabilities incurred to get this close to Celtic. Hopes of selling its player assets for inflated figures have disappeared from their fantasies. Ex-pats prepared to sink millions into covering previous losses do not exist.

Without Dave King menacing to get his hands on the club within days of Charles Green buying Oldco’s assets, Newco would now be solvent and competitive. Instead, Green was forced to cut ticket prices and pay Ally McCoist and his squad over the odds in order to keep the fans onside, blowing his business plan apart from the off.

The architect of this clusterstaunch has left the scene, unwilling to be held accountable for what happens next. Dave, you will be welcome to make the Paradise Windfall draw any time the South African authorities permit you to travel – but I realise you are unlikely to visit Glasgow again. When the history of our 20-in-a-row, or whatever the sequence becomes, is written, there will be a chapter dedicated to fools like you who made it possible.

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I agree with most of your post regarding the 3-3 game at Rugby Park, in many ways we were very fortunate to come away with a draw.

One thing I would add though was the huge roars of encouragement which the players got from the Celtic support coming onto the park at the beginning of the second half. For me it was a significant factor and I’ve maintained that it was a day when the supporters raised a team from their knees.

Does anyone else get the feeling that Boris and his political chums are half hearted in trying to get enough resources to the NHS and others on the front line of fight against Covid and are still operating their herd immunity approach ?

First: Celtic Park, 1961. SFTB- it was against Kilmarnock, too. Score was 2-2. Always thought we won 2-0, Bobby Carrol & Stevie Chalmers scoring in each half. Didn’t find out the real score till I researched it for the last time CQN did a similar recollection, just before Lisbon 2017. Didn’t play tig, but enjoyed the wee choo-choo train pass behind the Celtic end each time we scored.

Last: Celtic Park

Best: Celtic Park, every time

Worst: Ipox, every time

Just back from collecting hay and straw. That should do us for about 5 days. Don’t know what the donkeys will eat though. Roads in D&G just about empty – thankfully.

I agree the support and Neil tried t get things going at half time but the truth was there was a brief flurry of activity and plenty of effort, there was precious little guile and prolonged attack. Killie were coping easily with us. The first goal was won when James Forrest was fouled near their box and Antony Stokes sent a good but very saveable free kick into the net. The 2nd goal was a shot on the turn by Antony Stokes who was just frustrated at the lack of support he was getting from his team mates; he should never have taken it on and the keeper should have saved it easily but thank god he did. The equalising goal was brilliant; a back post towering header from Majstorovic (who was otherwise useless) back into the mix where Charlie Mulgrew showed real desire to get there first.

I am glad we were lucky but, even after the game, many of us thought our team were sinking rather than on the rise.

They proved us wrong by going on a long winning run after that match but Neil was right; his jacket was on a very shoogly peg then.

That game lives in my memory; it shows how quickly fortunes can turn even when you are not playing well. BTW- I was at the opposite end from where all 6 goals were scored so I got a very poor view of them- but I was at the end where Heffernan missed the chance t make it 4:3- still don’t know how he missed.

I don’t disagree and I know it took some time for us to score our first goal but there was definitely a change in attitude from the players that I believe was as a direct consequence of the support they got.

I was the same as you and was at the opposite end from all 6 goals so didn’t get a great view of them. Similarly, I couldn’t believe their miss towards the end.

First, Last and Best all Celtic Park. Irrespective of there being grander stadiums in the world, nothing beats the adrenaline high of big result at Celtic Park. No idea who the opposition were for my first match, but I was wearing my boots just in case they needed me, a habit I continued for over 40 years, and only finished with when it became apparent I wasn’t ever going to get a shout – when WGS chose to put on Koki Mizuno in my position I knew the game was finally up.

Worst was Easter Road back in the day – the 80s – 5000 folk trying to squeeze down a narrow whin dust path at the back of the terracing, roughcast wall on one side, 80 foot drop on the other.

To be fair, I could level similar criticism of virtually any ground at the time. Mental how absurdly unsafe football grounds were permitted to be, and with tragic consequences.

I’m too young to have witnessed Yashin or Ronnie in the flesh so go on old footage & articles. i’m willing to accept our Ronnie was superior but he still wouldn’t make my 11 as Danny’s in there so no more Scots. Even if I could add another Scottish player it would be Jinky, sorry Ronnie. Then there’s Yashin’s black jersey which was a thing of uber coolness. And he wasn’t too bad either.

Can’t believe no-one noticed I Ieft my team 1 player short & one of my all time favourites too, the naturally hip Socrates. He oozed class. So my proper 11 would be:

*I was going to say Brockville, but what saved it was an occasion when we more or less won the league. Our game was off so The old fella and my Uncle Pat took me to see Falkirk beat Aberdeen 1-0 with a George Somebody penalty. The game seemed to last for hours but nice memory of two great people in my life.

I wasn’t at the 3-3 game at Kilmarnock, i played golf that morning and watching the game in the club. The thing i remember most about that day is after the game there was a bunch of us, all Celtic minded, carrying out a post mortem. You know what its like. Over in the corner, a sticky bun sat and watched this unfold looking rather smug.

About 4 months later, we had finished playing golf and the same chap was sat watching one of their home games on an illegal stream. He was f-ing and blinding at the screen with rage as they were losing, and were in admin and generally falling to pieces.

I learned two things that day, 1, never slag Celtic in front of them and 2, life comes at you quickly.

The Bhoys who did the Bike ride –Glasgow to Belfast– for Kano, might be able to recall that that was another ` Day to Remember` . Celtic were a couple of goals behind to Aberdeen, and we were all cold and wet on the Ferry and feeling pretty miserable about the score. I think we ended up winning 4-3. The rain stopped, we alighted and cycled the final few miles into Belfast with hope in our hearts.

That 3:3 game at Killie sticks in my mind for two reasons, the remarkable come back and secondly the three arseholes in front of threw away their scarfs, only to return after HT. Perhaps they saw a omen😱😵

Gruesome though the numbers from Italy this afternoon are, there is a big positive in the figures.

On average with this bastard virus, the poor souls who die were infected 19 days previously.

This is day 20 following the lockdown, and the numbers are falling. It looks like the peak was Friday, bang on prediction.

Friday 919

Saturday 889

Sunday 756

Let’s hope the trend continues over the coming days, although God alone knows what happens then. Open the doors and the virus starts over again. Keep them closed and folk will take matters into their own hands.

Perhaps South Korea shows us a different way, but each country needs the test and trace resources to apply it, and that’s no given.

Just on the idea that the points deduction for entering admin should be waived as part of football’s response to covid 19.

While I have sympathy with football clubs that have to do so I feel there still has to be a sporting penalty for shafting your creditors. Clubs that don’t enter admin are entitled to expect that those that do, pay a penalty.

Any move towards rescinding this penalty is imo aimed at maintaining next season’s title race aspirations for a certain club.

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